
I always seem to have too many celeriac roots lurking in my fridge. I think I buy them feeling they will come in useful over Christmas and New Year. I am also determined to use my goose stock, which usually gets frozen and then forgotten. Simmering it with celeriac produced a slightly thicker soup base which was not too rich and overpowering. What better way to use these celeriac roots than making Celeriac Soup with Chicken Dumplings?


So if you have some post-Christmas stock lurking in your fridge, give this a go. It’s delicious, and it doesn’t specifically need goose stock; chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth or stock would be ideal.
The dumplings are light and melt in your mouth. Keep them small, so they cook quickly and are not dry. If you don’t have celery leaves for the dumplings, use parsley or coriander but reduce the quantities so the flavour doesn’t overpower.
Making a Stock
I am adding a note to this post, long after Christmas and the presence of any goose stock.
If you can, try and make stock out of Sunday roasts, particularly duck or chicken, because it means you can create something out of nothing in the middle of the week. Simply cover the carcass with water and add a carrot, onion, celery, and any leftover veg. Add a bay leaf and maybe some peppercorns, and then bring to a boil and leave to simmer for about 45 minutes. Cool, strain and if you are not using it straight away, label and freeze. Not only can you make a great soup, but a good stock enhances so many different sauces. Nothing wasted!!😁
If you enjoyed this Celeriac Soup with Chicken Dumplings, head to our soup and stews section for more delicious recipes.

Celeriac Soup with Chicken Dumplings
Equipment
- Food mincer
Ingredients
- 250 g skinless chicken breast
- 250 g peeled and diced celeriac
- 1 large onion
- 1.3 litres stock I used goose, but chicken, turkey or even duck would be delicious; failing that, a good stock cube.😁
- 30 g grated parmesan (about 6 tablespoons)
- pinch generous nutmeg
- 1 tsp chopped rosemary
- 20 g finely sliced stem celery leaves
- 40 g fresh brown breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1 clover garlic – finely minced or grated
- freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil
- chives or shredded spring onion to serve
Instructions
- In a large heavy-based saucepan, gently saute celeriac and onion until golden. About 3-4 minutes. Add the stock and simmer until the vegetables are soft. Whizz the soup until all the celeriac is pureed and set aside.
- Mince the chicken breast. Set aside.
- Quickly whizz all the remaining ingredients in the food processor. Add the chicken and mix briefly to fully incorporate.
- Lightly flour a plate, form the mixture into small dumplings, using a desset spoon as a measure.
- Bring the soup back to a boil and simmer. Taste for seasoning; after about 10 minutes, add the dumplings. They need about 8 minutes; gently turn in the soup to cook on all sides.
- Serve sprinked with parmesan and chives or sping onions.
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